SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the killing of veteran journalist Shujaat Bukhari and two of his PSOs, Kashmir's top police officer announced on Friday.
The suspect has been identified as Zubair Qadri, Inspector General (IG) Kashmir Swayam Prakash Pani said at a hurriedly called press conference.
He said Qadri was seen in the video stealing the pistol of the PSO who was shot dead along with Bukhari.
"The pistol has since been recovered, and he is being questioned about his presence at the scene of the crime. So far, he has not been able to give any convincing answers," he said.
Pani added that the state police had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Deputy Inspector General (central Kashmir) V K Virdi to probe the killing of the editor of Rising Kashmir yesterday.
Pani also described the killing of the journalist as a "terror attack".
The identity of the other three attackers was being ascertained, the police official said.
Bukhari, 52, was given police protection after an attempt on his life 18 years ago. The father of two, who was often part of "track-2" diplomacy between India and Pakistan, was also said to be on a terrorist hit list.
In 2006, Bukhari was kidnapped by unknown gunmen who then attempted to shoot him at close range. Miraculously, the gunman's pistol got locked, and the journalist ran for his life.
In recent weeks, he had strongly backed the internal ceasefire announced by New Delhi for Ramzan.
Just days ago, he tweeted on the killings of two policemen in Pulwama in south Kashmir.
Hundreds of mourners in Kashmir on Friday joined the funeral procession of Bukhari at his ancestral village Kreeri in Baramulla. Despite heavy rain, crowds of villagers, friends and colleagues followed the march through the streets of the village. See P6